The Neighbor
by Jelly Beans Galore
Summary: Sealand, newly adopted by Sweden, isn't allowed outside and he especially isn't supposed to go east. But then he sneaks out and comes across the neighbor's house. Neither Sweden or Ladonia seem to care much for Finland and Finland seems to reciprocate, but Sealand likes him and decides to visit often. But Sealand is beginning to believe there's something he's missing . . . .
1. Part 1

**AU where England gives Sealand to Sweden in modern times. Also uses a concept that the nations have a special language, called here "the nations' language". Also, a brief references to some headcanons from littleaphheadcanons. I wasn't writing them intentionally but there they are. Not really SuFin right now, but there will be some later. I'm not sure how long this will be. I'm kind of just writing. Also, I'm not sure how Ladonia talks so I just made him talk like Sweden. Hope you like it!**

Sealand didn't think he was _that_ much trouble. Okay, he may have argued too much with countries much older and with more influence than him. He wasn't particularly respectful. He popped into conversations that weren't meant to be interrupted. And, alright, he'd concede, he may have been prone to telling humans about himself and being a personification and how that _had_ to mean he was a real country which gave England a lot of damage control to do. But he could be worse, right?

Not in England's eyes, apparently. His excuse was that after raising America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, along with influence in quite a few other countries, he didn't have the energy to raise another kid. (And Sealand noticed how he said kid instead of country and it made him mad!) Anyway, Sealand knew England was just ready to be rid of him and after his last attempt to be recognized, England immediately began to search for a new country to house him.

From what Sealand had been told, the country he was staying with was called Sweden. He already had another micronation called Ladonia and was one of the only countries that didn't mind being called Pappa by younger nations. According to England, Sweden was fairly good at raising kids and he liked them as well which made him the perfect candidate. But Sealand really didn't care what England thought. He'd be the judge.

"Be good to Sweden," England warned from the driver's seat, but a look on his face made it clear that there was something else going on. Sealand was rightfully suspicious, but he said nothing. His brother pulled to a stop in a snowy driveway. It must snow a lot here.

Sealand stared at the house. It looked so . . . plain. Normally nations chose new, expensive houses and stayed in them until they were too old. This one, though, looked only semi-new and was kind of average-looking. It looked like of the house family houses. Was Sweden the kind of country that wanted to be a normal human and raise a family? Sealand heard that those countries were delusional. Was England really going to leave him with a guy like that?

He turned to ask when he realized England was no longer in the car. A tap on the window showed that England had already gathered his bags and was waiting for Sealand to get out, which he did begrudgingly.

"It's really cold here!" Sealand yelled as he climbed. England glanced at him and rolled his eyes. Having no free hands, he nudged the boy forward with a suitcase.

England didn't respond in the nations' language and actually switched to English. "You'll need to learn Swedish. You won't be able to leave the house at all until you do. Sweden can't speak English so you'll only be able to use the nations' language with him and you can't use that in public. Understand?"

Sealand was only half-listening, but he nodded anyway. England rang the doorbell. From inside the house Sealand could hear shuffling and feet and voices. Finally, the door opened to reveal a very tall man with a very scary face. Sealand looked to England in horror, but England didn't seem frightened at all. In fact, he said hello very calmly. The man replied, "Hey," although it didn't sound quite right. It didn't sound English.

The man gestured inside and England nodded. They entered into what must have been the living room and Sealand had to admit that it did seem nice here even though that man was really scary.

Now away from anyone who could overhear, England spoke in the nations' language. "It's good to see you, Sweden. As I'm sure you realize, this is Sealand. Sealand, this is Sweden."

Sweden gave a brief nod. Sealand stared. There was no way England was really going to leave him here. That guy looked like a murderer! The two "true" nations stared at Sealand as if waiting for something.

He quietly said, "H—hello."

Sweden nodded again.

"Well," England said brightly—glad to be rid of him, for sure, Sealand thought, "I'm afraid I really do need to be on my way. My brothers can't take care of things by themselves. Thank you again for this, Sweden. Sealand, _be good_." And with that, he shut the door and promptly left.

Sealand stared up and Sweden stared down. They were both quiet for quite a while until Sealand finally spoke up.

"Um . . . ," he said, "uh, what should I call you?"

Sweden shrugged. "Y'can call me Pappa, Sweden, Berwald, Uncle . . . Whatever. S'yer choice." He bent down and picked up the suitcases from the floor. "C'mon. I'll show ya yer room."

Sweden then walked away and Sealand didn't dare stay behind. They walked up a staircase and into a hallway with no lights, although there was a window at the end and the open doors let in light from the other rooms. Sealand heard another voice. Sweden looked at him and said, "Ladonia. He lives here too. He's rechargin' so ya'll have t'meet 'im later. Here's yer room."

He stepped out of the way so Sealand could go in. Sealand liked the room okay enough, but he didn't really know what to say so he stood in the center of the room. Sweden placed the bags on the bed and put his hand on Sealand's shoulder. He almost jumped.

"M'sure England already told ya, but y'can't leave the house until y'learn Swedish. Ya'll start yer lessons soon, but I figured ya'd need some time t'get used ta the house first. Ask me if ya need anything. I'll let ya unpack now, 'kay? M'gonna make lunch." Sweden walked away.

Sealand started to get everything out. He put his clothes in the closet and found places for his other things. Then he found a blanket that had been a gift from England (really, it was a gift) and decided he was going to take a nap. He laid down in the bed, holding the blanket close, and slept. He wasn't crying about his brother not wanting him.

* * *

When Sealand awoke, it was six at night and there was a loud knock on the door. He got out of bed and half-heartedly attempted to straighten his clothes. He opened the door to a red-headed kid with an angry look and a paint streak on his face.

"Y'slept jus' about all day. Are ya lazy er somethin'? Anyway, Pappa told me ta tell ya t'come down fer dinner," said the kid. He crossed his arms and frowned.

"Are you Ladonia?" Sealand asked.

Ladonia rolled his eyes. "A'course I am! Who else would I be? _Sweden_? Now stop wastin' m'time with yer questions and come down fer dinner."

Sealand followed because his stomach was growling and whatever was cooking smelled good. He waited by the kitchen door like Ladonia and watched Sweden set the meal on plates. After the adult noticed the kids, he kind of smiled. Sealand thought he looked a lot less scary like that.

"Ya prob'ly were tired from the long trip, right?" he asked as he brought the food to the dining room. "Try t'sleep t'night, though, okay? Y'need to keep a good sleep schedule."

Sealand nodded hastily, unwilling to disagree. Ladonia just rolled his eyes.

The meal was almost silent, with Sweden asking Sealand a few questions ("Y'got a human name? Fer when we go out?" "It's Peter. Peter Kirkland." "Mm. Mine's Berwald Oxenstierna. Ladonia's Casper. Hope ya don't mind, but ya'll prob'ly have t'go by Peter Oxenstierna now 'cause yer supposed to be m'son, t'least by adoption." "That's alright.). Ladonia hurriedly finished his food and went to his room. Sweden said he was always like that.

Thus, Sweden and Sealand were left by themselves. Sealand could tell Sweden wasn't much of a talker, but he was clearly trying for his sake. It felt a little condescending.

Sealand kept nodding while Sweden tried to inform of things he needed to know. When he'd finally cleared his plate, he said, "I'd like to go to my room too, please."

Sweden just nodded.

* * *

A routine was set. Every morning, Sweden would take his laptop to the living room and work on things for the government. During this time, Ladonia was allowed outside so long as he stayed in the area that Sweden could see. Sealand had to stay inside and this time was spent learning Swedish. Sealand had never learned another language before. He didn't like it.

Then the family would break for lunch. After lunch, Sweden would go to his workshop to build things. Sealand had no idea what he built and Ladonia gave no hints. The two children were to stay in the house.

They normally played separately and silently, but one day, they were splitting a box of crayons and coloring. It was this day that Sealand chose to speak up.

Sealand pointed to the west and said, "Who lives there?"

Ladonia looked up from his coloring, clearly annoyed at being disrupting. "Mainly Swedes. We're on the east side, y'know."

Sealand shook his head. "No, I meant the country. What country is that way?"

Ladonia got a wicked look on his face. "Give me that green and I'll tell ya."

"What?" Sealand cried. "I'm using this."

Ladonia shrugged. "Then I guess ya won't find out."

Sealand, seething, handed over the crayon.

"Mr. Norway. Ya'll meet him sometime, I s'pose. He may try t'get you t'call him Uncle Norway. I wouldn't. I _don't_, in fact," Ladonia said proudly.

Sealand nodded. "And to the east?"

Ladonia got a slightly panicked look. He looked at Sealand's pile of crayons. "U . . . Ya'll hafta give me that red. _And_ the blue."

Sealand was indignant, but he wanted to know. It was clear that Ladonia was surprised that he'd actually given up the crayons.

"Well," Ladonia answered, "we don't go over there, okay? Not even when y'can actually go outside. Never go east. Pappa doesn't like him. He's not a good person. Ya understand?"

Sealand frowned. "Well, that doesn't tell me who it is."

Ladonia waved a finger for him to come closer. Sealand leaned in, ready to hear. But then the door to the workshop opened and Sweden was back and Ladonia clearly wasn't going to tell him anything.

* * *

It wasn't until Sealand's fifth day there that he finally got a moment truly alone. Sweden normally did his work at home, but there had been an emergency and he'd had to rush off. Ladonia was charging and Sealand had rule of the house.

So he decided he'd go outside.

It sounded a little ridiculous in retrospect, but being that he wasn't allowed to leave any other time, Sealand figured it was a good idea. Until he wandered too far and got lost. And the bad thing was that this land didn't feel like Sweden. Sweden's land had always seemed kind of friendly to him, like he was welcome there. This land felt cool and it didn't seem to like strangers. Sealand was fairly sure he'd wandered into another country.

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the language. It sounded nothing like Swedish. Sealand considered asking for help, but he decided the chances that anyone spoke English were slim. He found a house with a porch and decided to just sit on that.

He didn't know how long he was sitting, but the front door opened. It was a man who looked a little younger than Sweden. Sealand thought this guy looked kind of strange. His eyes were almost violet and he was wearing a band t-shirt and capris in such cold weather. The kid and the man stared at each other.

Knowing the man couldn't understand, Sealand said in the nations' language, "Your porch smells like smoke."

First the man gave a shocked look. He'd probably never a language like that in his life, Sealand thought proudly.

But then the man said, "Uh, yeah . . . . Well, I don't smoke all that much anymore and I only smoke in that spot and I'm trying to quit and my boss thinks I have so you can't tell him, okay? And also, are you a micronation or something?"

Now Sealand was shocked. "You . . . you . . . ."

"Well, I guess you're a micronation considering I've never seen you at a World Meeting before," remarked the man.

Sealand frowned. "Well, I don't know who you are either!"

The man half-laughed. "That's because you've never met me personally. I'm sure you've at least heard of me. I'm Finland."

Sealand stayed quiet. He'd heard of Finland.

"Are you lost?" Finland asked. "I guess you are because you're in my land. I hope you don't belong to one of my neighbors because I fucking hate those guys."

". . . You said a bad word," Sealand said in awe.

Finland shrugged. "You're allowed to say bad words when you're an adult. Now come inside."

"Why should I?" Sealand demanded. Ladonia had warned him about this guy.

Finland raised his eyebrows. "Fine, don't. But you look kind of cold."

Sealand stood up and followed him. When he entered, he was pleasantly surprised. The house smelled very fresh and not like smoke at all. He really didn't smoke much. From what he'd heard, he expected creepy décor and weapons everywhere. Well, Finland did have a knife in his pocket and there were guns lining the walls, but it seemed very neat and orderly. Like they were just there for protection.

"I'm hungry!" Sealand announced, making his way to what was the clearly the kitchen and leaving Finland behind. Finland followed him in.

"Well, I could make you lunch!" Finland offered. Sealand looked at him carefully. Something in his hopeful expression reminded him of the face England made whenever someone asked him to cook. He looked at the dishes in the sink. Those reminded him of England too.

He instead asked for just a sandwich.

After making the sandwich, Finland took a seat at the table with Sealand. Sealand was surprised to see him yank out the chair and turn it backwards so he could rest his arms on the back.

"That's not how you're supposed to sit," Sealand said, although he held kind of a distant respect and admiration for this man. He seemed really cool.

Finland replied, "I'm an adult. I can do what I want. Now who do you belong to?"

"Weeeell," Sealand drawled out, "my brother is England and I lived with him until about a week ago. Now I live with Mr. Sweden."

Finland gripped the chair tightly and forced a smile. "Oh? And does the fa— Sweden know you're here?"

Sealand shook his head. "He doesn't even know that I left the house. I'm not supposed to leave at all. And Ladonia said that I was under no circumstances supposed to come here because you're a bad person but I don't think so. I like you. You're cool."

Finland cracked a smile. "Oh, really? Well, come over any time you like then! But I probably should take you back to Sweden's. I'm getting ready to go to a meeting with Norway so I can drop you off on my way."

Sealand nodded, but Finland had already turned away and was yelling toward the staircase.

"Hey, Aland, I'm going now!"

"Why so early?" was called back and then there was shuffling. The person that must have been Aland took one look at Sealand and stared blankly before hurrying back upstairs. "I don't even want to know what you did."

**End Part 1. Sorry it's abrupt. I was literally just writing until I was couldn't write anymore. Anyway, all of my stories are originally posted on tumblr and may be posted there sooner than here. My url is jellybeansgalore, just like my pen name here, so if you need to find me, that's where to look!**


	2. Part 2

**There's an Aland OC, but it won't be mentioned much especially because I haven't even specified a gender in my head yet. This isn't my best work, but I've been sick for three days and now I'm being kept up by fireworks so don't complain too much.**

"Do you need a car seat?" Finland asked belatedly as he buckled the seatbelt on Sealand. Sealand frowned and shook his head vigorously.

"No! I'm not a baby!" he replied, spitting out the words as if they were the worst insult he'd ever received. "And I could have buckled myself too!"

Finland nodded. He looked distracted. He felt around his pants for his keys and pulled them out before walking around to the driver's side and climbing in. He muttered to himself a check list. "Seatbelt, mirrors, start car . . . ." As he turned the keys in the ignition, the radio burst on and blared screams in that same weird language he'd heard earlier. Finland's eyes grew wide and he hurriedly turned it off.

"Don't . . . don't ever say those things, okay?" Finland asked. His voice was pathetic. Sealand agreed. Even if the "song" had been in English, he wasn't sure he would have understood a word.

After Finland got on the road, he tried to start a conversation.

"Why aren't you allowed to go outside?"

Sealand ceased rubbing the seat. (It was really soft and it got darker when you rubbed it one way!) He sighed. "Because I don't know Swedish yet. Mr. Sweden said I'll be allowed to leave once I learn, but it's hard."

Finland gave him a sympathetic look. "Oh, I've been there. Learning another language is tough. But at least English and Swedish have some of the same roots! I didn't have that luxury . . . ."

Sealand wasn't quite sure what Finland was implying.

"I wish I could help you," he continued, "but I'm not all that fluent . . . . Oh, but Aland is! Aland could help you! I mean, Aland still uses an 'archaic form of Swedish', but anything helps, right?"

"I guess," Sealand answered, although he wasn't entirely sure what he was agreeing to.

Finland smiled. "Alright. Then you just come over any time you like. I might have business and be out, but Aland should just about always be there, but there's a key under the doormat if there's no answer so you can let yourself in."

Sealand wanted to reply, but he was beginning to feel a bit sleepy. He let Finland's chatter bring him to sleep.

* * *

When Sealand woke up, it was to a quick tap on the shoulder. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Finland had parked at the edge of the driveway and was waving him to walk up, while trying to call someone on his phone. Sealand quickly thanked him for the ride and climbed out. He made his way to the front door. The living room light was on. He wondered if Ladonia was up yet or if Sweden had returned. He was bound to get in trouble either way. He sighed and rang the doorbell.

To his surprise, a man with inanely messy hair and freckles opened the door. His eyes widened and then he blurt out, "Please tell me you're Sealand."

Sealand nodded.

"Oh, thank God!" the man cried, grabbing the kid's wrist and pulling him inside. "I didn't know what I was going to tell Sweden. He made it clear that I was the last resort to watch you guys 'cause Iceland doesn't like kids and Norway had a meeting and he thinks I can't handle it, but I totally can 'cause I found you!"

Sealand had only half-listened. "So this means you won't tell Mr. Sweden I left?" he asked innocently.

The man calmed down. "'Course not. He'd kill me. So I'll just have to punish you myself."

His idea of punishment was no TV. Not a big loss for someone who can't understand it.

"My name is Denmark," the man explained as he sat down a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk for dipping. "I've been a friend of your father for a long time. So you can call me Uncle Denmark if you wish. And now can you tell me where you ran off to?"

Sealand, of course, was excited about his adventure and glad to have someone to tell the story to. He decided to eliminate the part about Finland though. He wasn't sure if what this new guy thought of him and figured it would be best to just avoid it. "I went exploring!" Sealand exclaimed. "You see, I was bored and Ladonia was in sleep mode and I was _all_ alone—"

At this, Denmark looked slightly guilty. It was clear that he was supposed to arrive earlier.

"—and I realized that this would be my only chance to go outside for a while. So I went exploring and then I got bored so I came back here," Sealand finished. He belatedly realized that the story wasn't half as interesting without meeting Finland. Still, he didn't speak up.

"Cool story, kid," Denmark said. "But I've got a better one. Okay, so when I was physically about your age—"

"What are y'doing?"

The blondes turned to see a sleepy redhead standing in the doorway. Denmark reacted first and with a smile.

He said, "Hello, Ladonia! Your father left me in charge. We're just having some cookies. You want some?"

Denmark gave Sealand a wink in an I'll-tell-you-later way. It was clear that this was a story he didn't want Ladonia to hear. And Sealand liked that. It was kind of nice to feel superior for once.

* * *

Only three days later, Sweden had to rush off again. This time, it wasn't work-related at all. Denmark had fallen off of his bike and broken his arm. Sweden described it as Denmark throwing a fit and wanting attention, but Sealand wasn't entirely sure what actually happened. In any case, it was evening time, so Ladonia wouldn't be asleep. Ladonia was apparently allowed to stay home by himself and because no nations were available to babysit, Ladonia was in charge.

However, Sealand wanted to go see Finland again. There wouldn't be any sneaking out, so he thought of a plan.

"Hey," Sealand whispered as soon as the door slammed shut. "Guess what I did the other day?"

Ladonia looked bored, but played along. "What?"

"I snuck out and went to Finland's," he said proudly, waiting for a reaction. He received it.

"What?" Ladonia cried. His blue eyes were wide in shock and he looked absolutely appalled and perhaps a little worried for his "brother". He asked, hesitantly, as if he was afraid to get an answer, "What happened?"

Sealand smiled and assured, "Nothing scary! I got lost and ended up at his house and he brought me inside and gave me a sandwich and then said he'd drive me home and then he also said I could come over any time and he'd have Aland help me with Swedish if I needed it."

Ladonia seemed unsure. He leaned forward and looked for injuries. "He didn't shoot ya? Or knife ya? Or even yell?"

Sealand shook his head. "No, nothing. If anything, I liked him! He seems really nice and cool!"

"But . . . ," Ladonia protested, "I've met Mr. Finland before. He was rude and he yelled and he called Pappa a"—he dropped his voice to a voice—"a faggot and then went on t'say Pappa was the faggot country and all Swedish women had t'marry Finnish men because not a single guy was straight."

Sealand blinked, a little confused. "What?"

"I'm not entirely sure either," Ladonia shrugged. "But Pappa seemed really offended so I hafta believe that it's somethin' bad."

Sealand brought his hands to his lap and thought. That didn't sound at all like the country he'd met. Perhaps that had just been a bad day. Or maybe they'd had a big argument. . . . Or maybe Mr. Sweden had done something to deserve all of those insults.

But he wouldn't focus on those thoughts until later. For now, he decided it was his duty to clear Finland's name for Ladonia.

"Let's go there and I'll show you!" Sealand suggested. He stood up and began putting on his boots. Ladonia remained seat.

"No!" he yelled. "We're not supposed t'leave."

Sealand had a mischievous look. "Well, you have a dilemma then. You see, I'm leaving either way. If you come, we don't have to ever speak of it again. If you stay, I'll tell Mr. Sweden and you'll be in trouble for not watching me better. Besides, it's probably all right if we both go. You know Swedish so we should be fine!"

Ladonia didn't think it was a good idea at all. But he wasn't willing to take his chances. He stood up as well and began getting ready. Once the two bundled themselves up, they unlocked the door and exited. Ladonia lifted a cushion from the outdoor seat and pulled out a key.

"We won't be able to get back in otherwise," he explained.

Sealand nodded. Then he hopped off of the porch and into the snow. It went up to his knees. He said, "You'll have to follow me because I'm the one who knows the way there!"

He took off running. Ladonia followed.

"Not fair! I bet I could find my way there if I wanted to!"

"I bet you couldn't!"

* * *

By the time the two boys reached Finland's house, the sun had set and it was getting cold. They'd pulled their scarves tighter around their necks and stuck their hands in their pockets, but they were still shivering.

Sealand knocked on the door as quickly and loudly as he could before tucking his hand away once more. The air was too cold to have it out much longer. He heard footsteps from inside and then the door opened.

Finland smiled happily. His eyes were bright and alert as if he'd had too much caffeine. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot and seemed much to awake for this time of night. When he spoke, he strung his words together quickly. "Hello, Sealand, didn't expect to see you back here so soon, I kind of figured it would be a while before you'd be able to sneak out again, and hello to you too, Ladonia, I'm surprised to see you, I mean it's fine, it's nice to see you, I just didn't expect you to come because I kind of thought you didn't like me and I guess that's fair 'cause I haven't really shown myself in a way to give a favorable impression."

He stepped out of the doorway to allow the boys inside and shut the door after them. Sealand and Ladonia basked in the heat. Finland kept rambling.

"Anyway, it's fine that you're here now, but I'm kind of busy because this is the only free night I'll have for a while and I have to finish wrapping presents for Christmas, you know, so you can come in the living room and watch TV or something while I work, Aland went to bed already, was feeling kind of ill, poor thing, oh, and Sealand, I found some basic Swedish books for you if that helps and you can help him if you want, Ladonia, but I also have video games and you can play anything provided it's not too bloody or gory or the likes and if you're not sure, just run it by me, I really need to get started again, sorry if I seem a bit hyperactive, I've been living on coffee for twenty hours now, but you two just do whatever!"

Sealand looked to see Ladonia's reaction. He was too stunned to say much.

"What did you think?" Sealand asked as they walked home.

Ladonia dragged his feet through the snow, leaving two perfect lines. "That was . . . weird."

"What do you mean?" Sealand had a goofy smile on his face as they tumbled down a hill. "Didn't you like him?"

Ladonia kept quiet.

"Aw, come on! You had to! Mr. Finland is really nice!"

"Ridiculously nice," Ladonia agreed. "But that doesn't change my opinion o'him."

Sealand pouted. "Why not? You saw how nice he is. I like Mr. Finland and I think he's a great coun—"

Ladonia cut him off with a glare. "Y'don't know what Mr. Finland has done. He may _seem_ nice, but he's jus' actin', Sealand. Let's not talk 'bout this anymore, okay?"

"But what'd he do?" Sealand demanded. Ladonia had made him curious.

The redhead didn't speak.

"Come on! I want to know!" he whined.

"I said I'm not speakin' 'bout it!" Ladonia snapped. His eyes were focused in a cool glare full of hatred and spite. Sealand knew it wasn't aimed at him, but it still made his blood run cold.

He had to wonder what Finland could have done to warrant a glare like that.

**End Part 2.**


	3. Part 3

**I found it interesting how many assumed that Finland actually did something wrong. Sorry for butchering other languages. I'm learning French right now and if I study too much into other languages, I get them confused and I don't need that happening, so I just use Google Translate. If you speak any languages I use and want to correct me, feel free to do so. In the first scene, I use italics to show that they're speaking Swedish. This is only because the dialogue is so extensive and important to the plot.**

**Note to the guest reviewer for this chapter: I'm not saying Finland gets a free pass. The word he uses is terrible and horrible. And his reasons for acting like this will be revealed in the next chapter. But the story is from Sealand's point of view and as such, his views of other characters are what is shown here. And I really wish you'd come off guest and message me so I could explain this more thoroughly. But if you'd rather not, go to my tumblr and we can talk there. I want to make sure you understand what I was intending; I apologize if it came out wrong.**

It snowed. That wasn't too much of a surprise. It _was_ winter. But Sealand didn't typically see snow and never this much. So after a few days of his constant chatter (and Ladonia's whining at him to shut up), Sweden decided to take the kids to the park to play.

As they arrived, Sweden was stopped by a woman in her thirties that was clearly a mom. Ladonia and Sealand waited awkwardly for the conversation to end. Ladonia seemed bored and stared into space. Sealand tried to decipher the conversation. It was entirely in Swedish so he wasn't quite sure what was said.

"_Well, if it isn't Mr. Oxenstierna! It's so good to see you! You haven't come around much lately!_"

"_Yes, I've been busy. New addition to the family, you see._"

"_Yes, I do see! What's his name?_"

"_Peter._" Sweden nudged him. "_Peter, introduce yourself._"

Sealand fumbled through the new language. "_My name . . . is Peter Oxenstierna. It's . . . nice to meet you._"

Ladonia stepped up for him. "_My brother doesn't speak Swedish well, ma'am. He's been living with our uncle to attend a school in England and as such, it's been quite a long time since he's spoken his first language._"

The woman nodded and smiled. She slowed down. "_Well, I hope you like it here then! Sweden is a very good country._" The nations tried to keep straight faces. "_Do you like it so far?_"

Sealand nodded unsurely.

The woman looked back to Sweden. "_Well, Berwald, I was actually just leaving. Hope your kids have a good time. There certainly is a lot of snow._"

Sweden nodded. "_I'll see you around._"

"_Hope so!_"

Ladonia pulled on Sweden's arm. "Can I go play now?"

"_Swedish,_" Sweden reminded. "_You may, but take Sea—Peter with you and don't let him out of your sight. You have to take care of him._"

Ladonia sighed. "_Yeah, yeah. Come on, Peter!_"

The children walked towards another group of children. They were playing some kind of game, but Sealand didn't know what. He glanced helplessly at Ladonia.

"_It's called kubb. They're not very good_," he noticed. "_Also, if you forgot my human name, you're supposed to call me Casper._"

At the sound of his voice, one of the children turned. "_Hey, Casper, are you going to play with us?_"

"_I have to watch my brother,_" he said. Sealand took satisfaction in that. He didn't want to be left alone. He started to reach for Ladonia's sleeve when he stepped away.

"_Don't move, okay? I have to show these guys how you're supposed to play kubb._"

Sealand shook his head. "_You are . . . supposed . . . to watch me._" He switched to the nation's language, unwilling to even try that anymore. "You can't leave me alone! I don't want to be alone."

Ladonia rolled his eyes. "_It will be really quick! One game and I'll be right back!_" He hurried off, despite Sealand's protests.

Sealand whimpered. Then he silenced himself. He was tough. He could stand here for a few minutes. He paid attention to the game.

One game turned into two. Two into three. But Sealand had no idea how to play kubb, so he didn't know that.

A Swedish kid tapped on his shoulder. Sealand turned to see another group of children smiling at him. "_Why are you just standing there? Do you want to play with us?_"

Sealand didn't understand. He stared.

The kid looked at his friend. "_Why isn't he answering?_"

His friend shrugged.

"_Is something wrong?_" another asked kindly. "_Are you new? I've never seen you before._"

Sealand looked to the field. He called, "_La—Casper!_"

One of children piped up, "_You know Casper? How?_"

They continued to bombard him with questions until Sweden ran up.

"_Oh, hello, Mr. Oxenstierna. Do you know this kid? Why won't he speak?_" one of the children asked.

"_My son. He grew up in England so he doesn't speak Swedish very well_," Sweden explained. He glared at Ladonia. "_I told Casper to stay with him, but he clearly didn't listen_."

"_Oh. Well, can you tell this kid that if he ever wants to play, he can play with us?_" a sweet little girl said.

Sweden nodded. "_Of course. But I think we'll be going home for the day. Casper is in a lot of trouble._"

* * *

The bus ride home was very silent. The bus was almost empty and Sweden wasn't saying anything. Ladonia kept quiet as if he felt guilty. Sealand couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't quite want to say anything either. Sweden's face, normally pulled into an angry look, was seething and absolutely terrifying. He kept a hand on Sealand's shoulder in a gentle way that was supposed to comforting, he supposed, but he was pressing a little too hard and it was actually painful. His other hand was gripping Ladonia's.

When they reached home, Sweden waited until the door shut to speak. "Sealand, go to your room."

Sealand appeared to do as he said, but he hid on the staircase to listen.

"Ladonia, I hope ya know how disappointed I am." Sealand was surprised. He'd expected yelling. This must be worse though. Sweden's tone made him feel terribly guilty and he hadn't even done anything. "I told ya t'do somethin' really simple: watch Sealand. Ya didn't obey me and ya left him alone."

" . . . M'sorry," Sealand heard Ladonia say.

"M'not goin' ta except an apology. Y'didn't do anythin' ta me. But ya did do somethin' to yer brother. Ya need ta apologize ta Sealand and yer grounded until y'do. That means no computer other than the time it takes t'charge yerself, no goin' outside—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!"

Sealand heard footsteps. Ladonia started to climb the stairs. When he saw Sealand, he glared and stormed past.

* * *

Sometimes, Sealand felt sorry for the official nations. Being such public "figures" (if that was the right word and it most likely wasn't, they had their whole lives on display and as such, it was easy to find out information about their whole lives. And while the most intricate details might not be there, it was typically easy to infer.

Sometimes, Sealand was grateful that the internet existed so he could look things up.

He started by searching, "Finland." Thousands of results came up. He decided that simply reading his Wikipedia article would do; after all, Sealand really just wanted to get an idea as to what happened between Sweden and Finland.

He skimmed through and blinked when he saw that Finland had two national languages: Finnish and Swedish. He quickly read through the language section. Okay, so that's why Aland knew Swedish so well. Although, it kind of seemed like Finland himself should have had a better grasp on the language. He decided to ask about that.

Sealand scrolled back up to the top of the page. Oh, there was the history section. He started to read it.

Ugh, this was so boring! And it all seemed basic! There was nothing even remotely—oh, wait did that say Swedish era?

"So Finland was part of Sweden," Sealand murmured. That helped a little. He still couldn't figure out what exactly it was that caused this whole thing. And he was kind of bored of this. He tried to remember the word Ladonia had said Finland used. Wasn't it faggot or something like that? He searched that up.

The dictionary defined it as an offensive word for a male homosexual.

Sealand blinked as he closed the web page. He walked to the kitchen where Sweden was making breakfast and stuck his head in the doorway.

"Mr. Sweden? Are you gay?"

Sweden glanced at him with a mildly surprised look. He nodded.

"Oh." That was the first time he'd ever heard of a country having a set sexuality. Most didn't even care anymore. "Cool."

"And aren't ya supposed t'be studyin' Swedish?" Sweden asked, a pointed look on his face. If Sealand had seen that look when he'd first arrived, he would have run away screaming. Now he used to it.

Sealand smiled cheerfully and lied. "I finished earlier. I think I'm getting pretty good!"

"Ljuger du?" Sweden asked.

"Uh . . . ," Sealand stammered, "Ja?"

Sweden stared, before giving a tiny laugh and a shake of his head. "Go study."

Sealand sighed. How had he been discovered? He trudged back to his room to get his Swedish books when he saw Ladonia laying down. He popped in and flopped on the bed.

Ladonia glared. Sealand thought he looked remarkably like Sweden when he did that. "What'd ya do that fer?"

"Will you cover for me if I sneak out to Finland's?" he requested. It wasn't even worth it to hide it.

Ladonia rolled his eyes and continued working on his laptop. "Yer not supposed t'go over there."

"I'll tell Sweden that you're on your laptop!" Sealand threatened.

Ladonia sighed. "It's not like I'm goin' ta be able t'stop ya, so I might as well."

"Thanks!" Sealand cried brightly. "I'll be leaving now. Have a good a day!"

"Hey!" Ladonia called before he could quite make it out the door. Sealand turned around. Ladonia was looking at him sleepily. He obviously hadn't been up for long. He was still in pajamas and his red hair was a mess. He didn't even have that weird streak on his face.

Ladonia said, "Be careful, okay?"

"I'll be fine!" Sealand groaned. "Mr. Finland is nice and he'll take care of me. Why do you care anyway?"

The redhead sighed. "Ya don't know him like I do. Sealand—" He sighed again, sharper this time. "I gotta care. Du är min lillebror."

"What's that mean?" Sealand asked, scrunching up his face.

Ladonia laughed and threw a scarf at him. "Study yer Swedish." After a moment, he muttered, "M'sorry."

* * *

Sealand knocked on the door. He waited for approximately five minutes before knocking again. After he'd waited for what he considered a sufficient amount of time, Sealand began to look around. Where was Finland? He scooted across the porch to look in the window. Finland was sprawled across the couch, clearly sleeping. A blanket was tossed over him as if someone else had placed it there hours later. The floor was covered with presents.

Sealand pounded on the window. He called, "Mr. Finland? Can I come in?"

After about a minute, Finland stirred. He turned to the window sleepily. It took a minute for him to process what he saw. He raised a finger and moved to open the door.

"Sorry about that," Finland apologized in his typical cheerful tone. "I was sleeping after wrapping all of the presents. I need to learn to stop putting that off until last minute, but it's nice to have the Christmas spirit all at the same time, right? Anyway, I need to get onto the night schedule so I can travel around the world! . . . Stay here for just a second. I forgot that I have a work thing I need to do." He ran to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. Sealand watched as he had a quick conversation. It was one that clearly annoyed him.

Finland returned and the two entered the living room. Finland moved and stacked presents to make a place for Sealand to sit.

"Why do you have so many presents?" Sealand wondered. He took a brief look at one of the tags. It had "For Liechtenstein—note to self: drop at her house, not Switzerland's" written in what he supposed must be Finland's handwriting. As he let it go, he knocked into the present and it wobbled.

Finland jumped to stabilize it. "Careful!" he warned. "Er, that might go off . . . .

"I have these presents because I'm Santa!" he chirped in response.

Sealand rolled his eyes. "Santa isn't real. That's just something parents tell their children. And then the parents give them the presents."

Finland nodded. He sat down on the couch. "That's true for humans. But we're nations, you know, and we don't have parents, exactly. So I give all personifications presents on Christmas."

"I've never gotten one from you," Sealand noted.

Finland laughed awkwardly. "Er, well, typically the nation that spawns the micronation informs me when a new one is born."

Sealand wanted to cry. He decided to change the subject.

"So you give one to every nation?"

"Yep."

"Even ones that you hate?"

"Yep."

"Do you hate Sweden?"

At this, Finland glanced to him carefully. "Why do you want to know?"

"Do you?" Sealand pressed.

"So what did you come over for?" Finland asked.

"Oh," Sealand said, opening his bag and pulling out his books. "I was needing help with Swedish."

Finland smiled sympathetically. He said, "Aland isn't home right now. Went over to a friend's house."

Sealand didn't care. "Well, you have two national languages, one of which is Swedish. Can't you help me?"

"I told you I don't have too good a grasp on it anymore," he hesitated. The pale blond pulled his legs onto the couch and crossed them.

"But it's one of your national languages!" Sealand protested. "Shouldn't you be fluent in it?"

Finland was silent for a moment. Then he gave a sigh and glanced at Sealand with a guilty face. "You're right. I guess helping you study would help me improve as well . . . . You want to start now?"

* * *

Sealand awoke early the next morning—at four A.M., surely no one else would be awake—and snuck off to use the computer again. He was surprised to Sweden, wide awake, seated in front of the screen. He was sipping a cup of coffee and typing on the keyboard alternatively.

"What are you doing?"

Sweden spun around. He gave a slight smile. "Work. Was too tired t'do it las' night, so I had t'do early this mornin'."

He took another sip of coffee before continuing, "And what're ya doin' up so early?"

Sealand thought of a lie. "Couldn't sleep."

Sweden nodded understandingly. "Ya could sit out here with me if ya want? Usually, I have the rule of no TV before noon, but considerin' yer still learnin' Swedish it might be helpful, so if ya wanna watch, ya can."

Sealand shook his head. He slunk over to the couch and grabbed a blanket, pulling it tightly around him. He laid down and watched Sweden work. They were quiet for a while, but Sealand thought it was kind of comforting.

"Mr. Sweden?"

"Mm?"

"Can I really call you Pappa?"

Sweden turned his head. "If ya wanna. Don't force yerself."

"But you wouldn't mind?" Sealand made his meaning clear.

Sweden's lips twitched upwards in a somewhat sad way. "A' course I wouldn't mind. I'd be happy to be yer pappa if ya wanted me t'be."

Sealand nodded sleepily. It was too early to wake up. He laid his head down. "Good night, Pappa."

The tall nation picked up his son and carried him back to his room.

* * *

At dinner that night, Ladonia glanced at the calendar. "It's Christmas Eve tomorrow." He gave Sweden a meaningful glance. Sealand pretended not to notice.

"So it is," Sweden agreed. He set down his fork and reached for his water glass. "Ya two both need ta be in bed by eight tomorrow. And ya can't come out until mornin'. And by mornin', I mean, at least six. Don't try ta tell me that any time past midnight is mornin'."

Ladonia let out a slightly agitated, "Yes, Pappa." Sealand whined.

"Why not? I want to come out of my room."

"Sealand," Sweden warned. Ladonia rolled his eyes.

"Grow up," he said.

Sealand sighed and continued eating.

**This took a while to write. Couldn't get in the mood. Sorry.**


	4. Part 4

** When I posted the last chapter, I got an angry reviewer for my comment about Finland. I posted a reply in the last chapter, but still. Geez, I wish people would pay more attention to my exact wording. I phrase things the way I do for a reason. Anyway, if you ever have a problem with something I write, message me. I don't mind and I don't get angry. Anyway, that's one reason that this next part is out so soon. I wanted to go ahead and show what happened.**

"It's Christmas; it's Christmas; it's Christmas; it's Christmas," Sealand sung. He bounced up and down on the couch excitedly. This was the first time he'd ever been truly excited for Christmas. Typically, he just received a sum of money from England and that usually had to go for repairs. But this year, Sealand knew he was receiving other presents. There were quite a few for him under the tree and Finland had promised him one aside.

"It's Christmas Eve," Ladonia corrected. He was curled up in a chair in the corner. The family had just finished their Christmas Eve dinner and were a little sleepy from the food. Ladonia looked at Sweden. "Pappa, who will open the first present?"

Sealand looked at him curiously. He questioned, "You open presents now?"

Both Sweden and Ladonia nodded. They didn't know any other way.

"Oh," Sealand continued. "I normally open them on Christmas morning."

"Y'can if ya want," Sweden offered. "But we still hafta go t'church tomorrow, so ya'd hafta t'do it quickly."

Sealand shook his furiously. "No, no, no! I want to open them now!"

Sweden looked at Ladonia. He shrugged.

"Let Sealand go first. I don't care," he said. He gave a longing look at his presents but kept quiet. Sweden half-smiled and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Yay!"

Sealand jumped onto the floor and searched for a present with his name on it. He tore the wrapping paper off and grinned. He thanked Sweden and continued going through his other presents. There was an assortment of toys, a couple of Swedish books, given for obvious reasons, and a few new pairs of clothes. Sealand reached for his last present. He opened it and stared.

"I have no idea what this is," he said.

"_Denmark_," Sweden growled.

Sealand finished with, "But it looks like fun!" He turned the box over and read, "Lego . . . ."

"Denmark must've snuck that under the tree at some point. Ya'll hafta thank him next time ya see him," Sweden ordered.

Sealand nodded. "I will! This looks really cool!"

"M'turn?" Ladonia perked up. He looked at the tree excitedly.

Sweden gave the go ahead. Ladonia dove in. Sealand wouldn't have cared for the presents he received, but he figured that as long as they made Ladonia happy, they were good.

When Ladonia finished, Sealand looked to Sweden. "What about you?"

"I don' need any presents," he replied. "Got y'two and that's fine with me."

Sealand felt guilty for not even thinking of making anything. Ladonia clearly felt the same. They slumped down on the floor. Then they exchanged a look and tried to offer Sweden some of their gifts.

"You can play with my legos."

"Borrow m'laptop?"

Sweden just shook his head. He leaned and kissed the top of both of their heads. "S'almost eight. Y'two said ya'd be in bed by then. Go brush yer teeth, put on yer pajamas, and go straight to bed."

"Yes, Pappa."

"Aw," Sealand whined. He crossed his arms and pouted. "Can't I pretty please stay up and wait for Santa?"

The Swedish nations winced and shook their heads. Sealand reluctantly agreed as Ladonia gave a forceful glare. He continued whining about having to brush his teeth, but the children hurried up the stairs and did as they were told. Once they'd both finished preparing for the night, Sealand turned to Ladonia with a proposition.

"Do you want to stay in my room tonight? We can stay up all night and play with our toys!"

Ladonia scowled. "No. We've got church t'morrow an' I don' wanna fall asleep there. Go t'bed, Sealand."

"_Fine_," Sealand agreed. He moved down the hall to his room. "Good night."

"God natt."

"What?"

"Are ya kidding me? Y'should understand that by now! That's basic Swedish!"

* * *

Sealand attempted to sleep, but he was so excited that he was wide awake almost three hours later. He heard the door open and feet tiptoe inside. He supposed that whoever it was (obviously Santa, aka Finland) was trying to be quiet, but it was hard to do on wood flooring.

"Merry Christmas," he heard. Sealand's eyes fluttered a little wider. That was Sweden. Why was he still up?

". . . Merry Christmas to you as well," Finland replied.

Sweden made a sound as if he wanted to say something but couldn't figure out the words.

"Uh, here: Sealand, Ladonia, you. If you'll excuse me, I have to hurry. Just because I don't stop at every house doesn't mean traveling around the world is quick."

"Wait, Fin—"

Sealand wasn't sure what happened because there was a short pause and then a loud sound.

"Don't touch me, damn fag—"

Another loud sound.

"Finland, fucking stop that! There are two kids in the house and I know y'know they're there. The only reason I even let Sealand go over t'yer house is 'cause I know he looks up to ya, but if yer gonna act like this, he's not goin' over ever again."

"If you're saying I'm not setting a good example, I assure you I am. And I don't—"

Sealand hopped out of bed. He didn't want to hear them argue anymore. He tumbled down the stairs, prepared to interrupt. When he came into the living room, he saw Sweden and Finland gripping each other in a way that could either be them fighting or getting ready to kiss. He slunk to the side so he didn't have to watch if it was the second.

"Don't even act like you're better than me, with everything you've done."

"T'was years ago! Ya even agreed back then that it was no big deal!"

"I came to my senses!"

"Stop!" Sealand yelled. He couldn't stand to listen to this anymore.

Both of the adults called his name in surprise. Finland released his grip on Sweden's arms and Sweden rushed forward to grab the child. Sealand jerked away and took off toward the door.

"Leave me alone!" he shrieked as he ran outside.

Finland inhaled shakily and said, "Oh, God."

* * *

Sealand realized very belatedly that it was a terrible idea to run outside in his pajamas in Sweden in the middle of winter. He couldn't hardly see where he was going in the dark. Running kept him a little warmer, but eventually, the cold snow burned his feet and it was too much to handle. He crashed the ground and the snow began to soak his pajamas, making him even colder. His nose burned. He was about to cry. Tears welled in his eyes his eyes. Sealand wouldn't cry. He was a strong country and he could handle—no, he couldn't. He let out a harsh sob and began to bawl.

He cried until he couldn't cry. His chest heaved from the effort. He leaned against a tree, still letting out a few weak sobs. The bark tangled his hair. Sealand didn't care anymore. He was going to freeze to death and it didn't even matter.

He finally understood what he'd been missing this whole time: Sweden was in love with Finland. And Finland—Sealand didn't know what was wrong with him.

Sealand sniffled and looked around, hoping to see his Pappa running for him. Or his older brother would do. He just wanted his family. Of course, they were nowhere in sight and he wouldn't have been able to see them anyway.

He pulled his legs to his chest and waited. He was starting to get sleepy. He was supposed to be in bed, after all. He'd just take a nap.

Sealand shook his head. No. Hypothermia. He had to stay awake. But still—

"Sealand!"

He forced his eyes open and saw a figure running towards him. It wasn't large enough to be Sweden, but was too big to be Ladonia—Finland, he realized. He tried to scoot away, but Finland reached him quickly. Sealand watched as Finland removed his coat and wrapped it around the micronation. Then Finland started to pick him up.

"Don't touch me," Sealand muttered. He was too tired to do much more. He felt as Finland started to move.

"I have to get you warm. Now, hold on. I'm going to take you home," Finland whispered. Sealand hated his voice. It had gone from the bitter yell to the sweet, comforting tone. Sealand hated it. He hated him.

Sealand protested, "Don't wanna go to your home. I want my pappa."

"Not my home," Finland corrected gently, "yours. I'll take you back to Sweden's and then I'll call him and tell him to stop looking. You'll see your pappa soon, okay?"

Sealand didn't have the energy to nod. The bounce from the walk was lulling him to sleep. He said, "Sweden loves you."

". . . I know," Finland answered after a while.

"He's in love with you," Sealand corrected.

"I know." Finland's voice was starting to sound guilty. "Sealand, I—"

"What'd he ever do to you? He couldn't have done anything terrible enough to deserve the way you treat him." Sealand snuggled in closer. Finland was really warm. He felt good.

Finland sighed. "He didn't."

"Then why do you do it? Why do you hate him? Pappa is a really nice person and he doesn't deserve any of what you throw at him."

"Sealand—" Finland sighed and started again. "Did you know much about my history?"

"No," he whispered. "I know you used to be under Pappa's control, but that's it."

Finland nodded. "Right. Then I was given to Russia when Sve lost a war."

"Is that why?" Sealand asked sleepily. Finland shook him and prodded him to stay awake.

"No," he answered. "Nations lose wars all the time and then they lost property. It's just the way it is. Besides, living with Mr. Russia wasn't that bad. It could have been worse."

Sealand was confused. "Then why do you hate him?"

"I don't hate him," said Finland.

"But you—"

"Sometimes it's easier to pretend that you're right than face reality," Finland said. "After both of the world wars, some of my people decided to blame Sve for what happened to me. And I . . . I went along with it. They've kind of stopped since then, but I didn't."

"I still don't understand why acting like this would help you at all."

Finland was silent for a while. He knocked on the door and it opened. Ladonia moved out of the way and they laid Sealand on the couch while they prepared to warm him up. He felt his clothes be removed and replaced with dry ones.

"I didn't want to grow up," was Finland's answer when it finally came. Sealand drifted to sleep.

* * *

He awoke to voices. Sealand didn't quite have the energy to open his eyes and he certainly wasn't ready to answer all the questions he was sure to get. He pretended he was still asleep.

"Ya . . . Y'can go if y'want. He'll be okay."

"It's my fault. I can't leave until I know for sure. . . . Unless you want me to leave."

"No! . . . No. Please don't."

It was quiet.

"Sve, we need to talk."

"Ya haven't called me Sve in a long time."

"_I know!_ God, you are so— Sorry. I know now isn't the best to do it. But I just needed to tell you that we need to talk."

"'Bout what?"

It was quiet for another long period of time.

"I love you."

"Wha— Since when?"

"I . . . I don't think this is the best time to talk about this."

"Yer the one that brought it up!"

"I—" Finland started. Then he made a high-pitched groaning sound. "Sveeeee, I just needed to tell you! We can address this subject when we talk, okay?"

"Fin—"

Sealand groaned and pretended to wake up. He didn't want to hear any more. He tried to sit up but found he was too weak. When he opened his eyes, Sweden was kneeling beside him and Finland was hanging a few feet back.

"Pappa." called Sealand. Sweden ran a hand through his hair.

"M'here. Are ya okay?" he asked quietly.

"Pappa," the micronation called again and held out his arms. Sweden pulled him into an embrace.

Finland scooted to the door. He considered telling them he was leaving, but decided it would be too awkward to say anything. He opened the door quietly and snuck out. Neither father nor son noticed that he'd quit the room until minutes later.

"Fin," Sweden started as he turned his head. ". . . He left."

"Are you going to make up with him?" Sealand wondered.

Sweden looked back at Sealand. He said, "S'more complicated than that."

Sealand nodded as if he understood. "Can I go to my room now? I'm still sleepy."

Sweden nodded and kissed his forehead. He grabbed Sealand and lifted him. "Ll'carry ya. Yer still weak. We can talk 'bout this in th'morning. That okay with ya?"

"Mm-hm," Sealand agreed. He was already asleep by the time Sweden tucked him in.

Sealand never heard the conversation between Sweden and Finland. All he knew was that there came a point that either Finland and Aland were at Sweden's house or Sweden, Ladonia, and Sealand were at Finland's. And that Sweden and Finland kissed. A lot.

**End Part 4.**

**Well, this is literally the end! I actually decided earlier that I would use a sad ending, but it ended up happy! I'm too much of a sucker for this couple. I tried to make this as realistic as possible, but I'm not sure it was that good. But I hope you liked it anyway. Also, I'm working on a new DenNor story and that should come out soon! Please check it out.**


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